Climate change perceptions and local adaptation strategies of hazard-prone rural households in Bangladesh

TLDR

Adaptation is a key strategy to mitigate climate change impacts on agriculture, but its effectiveness depends on farmers’ perceptions of climate change. This paper explores local knowledge of adaptation in response to perceived climate change impacts and hazards. The study surveyed 380 resource‑poor riverbank erosion‑prone households in Bangladesh. Respondents’ perceptions matched observed climate trends, they recognized livelihood impacts and felt vulnerable, and they adopted diverse farming and non‑farming adaptation strategies—such as new crop varieties, altered planting times, homestead gardening, tree planting, and migration—while improved access to finance and information was essential for building resilience.

Abstract

Adaptation is a key strategy that can alleviate the severity of climate change impacts on agriculture and food production. Adaptation strategies are unlikely to be effective without an understanding of the farmers’ perceptions of climate change. This paper explores the local knowledge of adaptation in response to the perceived impacts of climate change and climatic hazards using a survey of 380 resource-poor riverbank erosion-prone households in Bangladesh. The results indicate that the respondents’ perceptions of changes in the climate and of extreme climatic events are similar to the observed climate data. Households have recognized the impacts on their livelihood and resources, resulting in an increased sense of vulnerability. To build resilience, households have undertaken a range of farming and non-farming adaptation strategies, which vary significantly among the farming groups. The important adaptation strategies include adopting new crop varieties, changing planting time, homestead gardening, planting trees and migration. Improved access to finance and to information about appropriate strategies appears to be crucial to support adaptation processes locally and thus to enhance the resilience of vulnerable households.